| "Mr. Monk and the Actor" | |
|---|---|
| Monk episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 5 Episode 1 |
| Directed by | Randall Zisk |
| Written by | Hy Conrad Joe Toplyn |
| Production code | #503[1] |
| Original air date | July 7, 2006 |
| Guest appearances | |
| Stanley Tucci as David Ruskin Greg Grunberg as Jack Leverett Susan Ward as Michelle Cullman Peter Weller as Actor Playing Stottlemeyer Andrea Bogart as Actress Playing Disher Carrie Chason as Actress Playing Natalie | |
"Mr. Monk and the Actor" is the first episode of the fifth season of the American comedy-drama detective television series Monk, and the show's 62nd episode overall. The series follows Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub), a private detective with obsessive–compulsive disorder and multiple phobias, and his assistant Natalie Teeger (Traylor Howard). In this episode, Monk has to link two different cases while an actor hired to play him in a film emotionally disturbs him.
Written by Hy Conrad and Joe Toplyn, and directed by Randall Zisk, "Mr. Monk and the Actor" guest starred Stanley Tucci. The staff envisioned the episode after imagining the possibility of Monk becoming a famous detective. When the episode first aired in the United States on the USA Network on July 7, 2006, it was watched by over 5.1 million viewers. Critics gave it a positive reception, especially praising Tucci's performance. It also led Tucci to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series.